Football Saturday
Football Saturday is a weekly TV programme broadcast on BTV Sports in the United Kingdom & Ireland during the football (soccer) season. The programme updates viewers on the progress of association football games in the United Kingdom & Ireland on Saturday afternoons History Football Saturday grew out of BTV Sports Saturday, which started in 1992. The name of the programme changed to Football Saturday in 1998 Format Football Saturday is broadcast from 12:00 PM GMT (7:00 AM ET) on BTV Sports News & BTV Sports 1 & lasts for up to 6 hours. The programme begins with the host & 4 regular in-studio pundits previewing the weekend's matches, reviewing recent results & debating current issues in football. Viewers are kept updated on the progress of early kick-off's by reporters @ the games & by graphics below & to the right of the director's cut. These graphics also includes latest team news & league standings. If BTV Sports is covering a Premier League or a Football League match @ 12:45 PM GMT (7:45 AM ET), match coverage replaces Football Saturday on BTV Sports 1 @ 12:30 PM GMT (7:30 AM ET) whilst the programme continues on BTV Sports News. Just before 3:00 PM GMT (10:00 AM ET), BTV Sports 1 recommences it's simulcast with BTV Sports News in time for the 3:00 PM GMT (10:00 AM ET) matches, none of which are televised in the UK (& only 1 of which is televised in Ireland). The graphics display a vidiprinter & cycle through current scores in the English & Scottish leagues. Significant events @ the most high profile games, almost always in the Premier League, are described by the studio panel who each watch a game on a monitor. Other games deemed important are reported on by correspondents @ the grounds connected to the studio by a video link, ISDN or telephone. After the 3:00 PM GMT (10:00 AM ET) games finish, the classified football results are read by a host or an expert from the panel of the show. Immediately afterwards, BTV Sports 1 provides LIVE coverage of the 5:15 PM GMT (12:15 PM ET) Football League match, with Football Saturday continuing on BTV Sports News. The studio pundits discuss the games they have been watching & post-match interviews with players & managers are shown conducted by that evening's BTV Premier League Recap commentators Football Special A programme with a similar format is also broadcast when there are a number of midweek games, usually in the UEFA Champions League, in which case it's known as Football Special. The Football Special name is also used when a full afternoon programme of football is shown on a day other than Saturday, which usually only occurs on Boxing Day & the last day of the Premier League season (which is normally played on a Sunday). On these occasions, the programme follows the normal Football Saturday format BTV Sports Saturday During the summer, the show is replaced with BTV Sports Saturday which is more akin to the show's original format, concentrating on sports other than football due to the absence of competitive football during the summer. However in 2009, BTV Sports Saturday was not shown & BTV Sports News just continued airing their normal weekday schedule External links